Let me start off by saying I'm not racist. However, according to the current political standards, I must be. From the start of this Presidential campaign, I've complained that you can't say anything negative or question anything about Barack Obama without someone saying you're racist. For this simple reason alone, Barack Obama has been able to run an unfair campaign.
I am not alone in this quandary. I was recently listening to a stand-up comic talking about the current state of political correctness. He said that he constantly sees white people afraid to laugh at jokes he tells about black people, until the white people see that black people in the audience are laughing. Then they'll start to laugh too. White people are scared to be normal. The race thing has swung so far in the opposite direction that it's ludicrous.
Here are some of my recent observations regarding the Presidential Election:
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid when a 12 year old white girl in Florida wears a pink McCain / Palin t-shirt to school is called a racist.
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid because I care that a major political party Presidential candidate was or is associated with a domestic terrorist who has never denounced what he did, got out of a prison sentence on a technicality, and in fact recently stated that they should have blown up more buildings and killed more people. I'm not stupid enough to buy Barack's claim that he didn't know who Ayers was, he had to, and he just didn't care. If John McCain had been asked sit on a board with a terrorist, he would not have done so.
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid because I care that a major political party Presidential candidate sat in a church for twenty years listening to an anti-American, hate-spewing "preacher" without getting up and leaving. Do you think for one minute that if John McCain had sat in a white supremacy church for twenty years he would be in this race? No, and even more, he would have been removed from his position in the United States Senate.
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid because I care that a major political party Presidential candidate had a recent real estate deal with a swindler who was under investigation. This person was later indicted for allegedly trying to collect nearly $6 million in kickbacks from government deals and trying to shake down a Hollywood producer for $1.5 million in campaign contributions.
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid because I expect to be able to ask questions about a candidate's present, past, ideals, character, education, and experiences without being labeled a racist.
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid because I expect to work for what I want in life and to enjoy it when I achieve it: I expect others to do the same. What incentive will people have to work hard and achieve their dreams if more and more of their achievements are taken away from them by taxes.
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid because I expect once reputable newspapers to investigate each candidate's past and associations with the same amount of energy and aplomb. Newspapers like the New York Times have dug into Cindy McCain's past, rooting out anything personal and negative that they could - Mrs. McCain is NOT running for President. They've not done this to Michelle Obama, much less to Barack Obama who IS running for President. Keep in mind that in one of Obama's book, "Dreams of My Father", he talks about drug use. Has the press looked at this? No. I remember Bill Clinton being torn to pieces about if he inhaled or not... fair treatment. Hardly. But hey, that would be racist, right? I mean we can't ask seriously hard questions of a black candidate right?
- I would rather be considered racist than stupid for questioning if people are voting for a black candidate simply because he's black and not because of his platform, beliefs, and values. This is especially true if his platform, beliefs, and values do not mesh with their beliefs, religion, and values - still, you're called a racist for pointing that out.
I'm tired of people who keep bringing up these kind stupid racist accusations to promote hatred and racism: something they claim to want to overcome. Their actions speak otherwise. They want racism to go away except when they want to use it in their favor.
But What About the Economy?
I keep hearing that we the people don't care about anything except the economy. I keep hearing that we shouldn't ask about the candidates' pasts because it's just not important given the grave financial crisis at hand. Our economy is in shambles because some, maybe even the majority, of our elected leaders are corrupt and dishonest. They've made deals for decades that have slowly undermined our nation. Until we do care about the things I've mentioned above, and ask these kinds of questions of our candidates, and expect detailed and truthful answers, and reject any candidate who displays questionable character and morals, we will not get out of this economic mess.
If having morals and values, and expecting my elected officials to have morals and values as well, makes me racist, then I'd rather be racist than stupid any day.
Until Next Time,
Recoil
Addendum:
Some have ask "what about John McCain and the Keating Five"? This was the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s. The difference between this and Ayers is that the five people involved were investigated and three of them were found guilty of wrong doing and John McCain and John Glenn were cleared but criticized of using poor judgment for being involved. One big difference here is that if McCain is asked about it, he will answer and explain the details. Another difference is that the other three did not avoid whatever punishment was due by a technicality. Another difference is that no one was killed and no buildings were blown up.
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on October 19, 2008
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